Lumen's vs. Candlepower

Lumen\'s vs. Candlepower

Mag rates their lights in candlepower and Pila among others rate theirs in lumen's. What's the conversion? How can I compare my 3D Mag to the GL3R I just ordered in like terms?

Lumen\'s vs. Candlepower

Hello daBear,

Welcome to CPF.

There is no real convenient conversion.

Lumens refer to the light produced by the light, candlepower (and lux) refer to the light falling on an object.

You can have a lot of lumens and very few candlepower, for example in a flood light, or have few lumens and lots of candlepower, for example a laser.

Lights like Mag lights allow the beam to be focused to a great degree. This results in a high candlepower rating.

Doug (Quickbeam) has an output vs throw chart in the reviews section. He derives his throw numbers by taking the square root of the lux reading. This gives the throw down to 1 lux in meters. Since 1 lux (at 1 meter) = 1 foot candle (at 1 foot), you can also interpret the numbers in foot candles and feet. You can check his charts for lights that you already have and draw a comparison to other lights from there.

Tom

Re: Lumen\'s vs. Candlepower

Thanks Tom that is what I was suspecting. I am new to this hobby and am feeling my way around. My first high performance light is a Pila GL3R which I actually have not gotten yet. Just ordered it. I do have several Mags laying around and will be looking at moding some of the 3D's I have.